What Were The Causes Of American Imperialism Essay

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Ryan Sanchez Professor Pohlmann History 202 November 13, 2014 Causes for Imperialism Though for a long time the United States remained an isolated country and kept to them selves slowly they kept growing in every aspect until they were ready to become a world power. It was in the late 19th century that the US became imperialists and a dominant force that was to be feared, but also an allied nation for trading and support. When the US was being established they didn’t want Europe coming over to their side of the pond and taking land that wasn’t theirs to claim. The US wanted to be the only power present in the West, so Monroe Doctrine was written stating that Europe could no longer settle in the North or South Americas except for existing colonies and that the US would not meddle in internal European issues. The US wanted to be the Western Power, and at the time it seemed they were. Before the US could become an imperialistic country, they had a slow progression towards becoming a world power. The US took a little longer due the recovery period after the Civil War; it was a war that deprived the country of a million lives and countless resources that were required during the war. It left the country in a bad situation and delayed the…show more content…
It was through this war that the US was able to finally emerge as a strong world power and obtain new strategic territories. The US acquired Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine Islands that gave us foot holds on both sides of the country that resulted in new resources for the mainland. In the process of gaining new territories, in 1898 they also gained full control of Hawaii, which was a big resourceful gain for the US and having a strategic island territory in center of the Pacific left the US in great
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